Pfixing the Pfaff

Last year, I did a post on Care of Your Older Sewing Machine, where I took apart several machines and went through how to clean and oil them yourself to save money. Older machines, out of warranty, are easy to clean and this usually solves most stitch problems too. A small stray thread can create all kinds of problems! Unplug the machine before you start.

One thing that stymied me last year was getting the cover off my Pfaff 7550, which was running rough and skipping stitches. I knew there had to be some trick to it, but I didn’t know what that was. Thanks to Karen, a fellow Pfaff owner who recently came across the other article and emailed me, I now figured out all the steps to getting the covers off. Karen said ‘after you flip up the lid and remove it…”, ah what? That was the part I was stymied by! The screws were obvious, but the cover wouldn’t budge with the flip lid in place.

The clips seem to indicate that you move the flip lid towards the front of the machine but that didn’t work. I didn’t want to break the lid, so I left it.

No amount of searching told me how to remove that flip lid. But if Karen went by it that fast, it must be something reasonably easy. So I went back to it again, with a little more daring. I looked again, tried this and it worked. Push the clip towards the left with your thumb, and the little pin will disengage.

Then lift the lid off.

Move the bobbin winder to the right.

Remove the two screws. Do not remove the screw holding the bobbin check in place, it isn’t necessary and is a pain to get back in the right place.

Raise the handle.

Lift off the under cover.

Here are my tools for servicing a sewing machine. Several screwdrivers, three flat and one Phillips head, a tiny bottle brush, a nylon stiff bristle brush, several kinds of tweezers, canned air, sewing machine oil. and (not pictured) blue gear grease. New needles are good too.

Now, remove the needle and the presser foot. Raise the presser bar.

Take out the bobbin case. This will allow us to move the gears without damaging the bobbin case or the presser bar. Blow out the bobbin case with air, remove any stray threads, and put a drop of oil on the mechanism where the parts slide over each other, keeping it out of the area where the bobbin sits. Remove the throat plate to get to this area easier. Clean out the area around the feed dogs.

Back up top, look around for any obvious threads, and there was a big one here.

It was wrapped around one of the moving mechanisms, and deep in the workings. I used a hemostat to clamp onto the thread and gently pull while moving the hand crank to loosen it and pull it out.

The thread must have been there for some time, it broke twice while trying to remove it. I was able to pull some out, but there was a big loop left. Eventually, I did get all of it. Look for more fuzz and crud on the other moving parts and clean them.

Now look for gears and moving parts by rocking the hand crank back and forth. They need to be cleaned off, and regreased or oiled. All those spots where there are parts moving against each other need lubrication. The hole between the orange circles is a receptor for the screw, it doesn’t allow oil to get to the piston. It won’t hurt anything if you put some oil in there, it just won’t do anything.

Clean off the rods, oil the parts that move. There will likely be gunk in lots of places, so use a tiny bottle brush, and a nylon brush to get out the crud. Moving the hand crank will show you this piston moving along its bar.

One caveat, do not get any oil on the belt from the motor to the first gear. That will cause the belt to slip and your machine will run but not make stitches. If you think you got oil on it, turn the hand crank while you thread a paper towel under the belt to soak up any oil. Look around for any other gears or moving parts, remembering to stay away from the motor belt.

Also, keep the oil off the electronic boards.

Using a six pointed metric allen wrench, take out the side cover screw. (Update, this screw is a Torx screw, mine is stripped so it looks like an allen screw. See comments below.) Be careful to use the right tool (update -a star screwdriver would be best), it isn’t a Phillips head and you can strip the points if you aren’t careful. Be aware it may be metric and not US sizing. Just another way that Pfaff wants to keep you out of the machine. I removed it, but actually all you need to do is loosen it for the plate to slide off. (I replaced it later with a Phillips head screw).

I borrowed this set up from DH’s garage.

If you have removed this screw with a Phillips, and you don’t have metric allen wrenches, replace the screw with a Phillips head for the next time you need to remove it. Take the side cover off.

Clean the schmutz out here too, and then lubricate the gears and pistons in this area as well.

Now, look at the batteries. Just lay the machine on its back, and take the battery cover off.

Oh, heavens! Maybe this is why the screen keeps changing back to German.

Change the batteries if they are corroded. Replace the cover and set the machine back up.

When you think you have all of it oiled, plug in the machine and turn it on. Step lightly on the foot control to listen to it work. If it sounds smooth, increase the speed. If you hear a clunking noise, or a squealing, there is something you missed with the oil or grease. Go back to the hand crank and follow all the moving parts to figure out where the noise is coming from. Inspect it carefully and remove any gunk, then oil. Then go back to the foot control, and increase the speed until you are pedal to the floor and the machine is running at its highest speed. Don’t worry, this won’t hurt it, but it will be sure that all the oil is distributed. If all sounds good, wipe off any excess oil inside and out so it won’t collect dust and become gunk in the future. Then, turn the machine off, replace the covers, place a paper towel under the presser bar, and let it sit for a day to allow any excess oil to drain out.

Replace the presser foot, insert a new needle, put the bobbin back in and you are ready to go. When you are done, thread it with different colors of thread in the top and bobbin and check your stitches. You can adjust the tensions to create perfect stitches if you know which one is the problem.

So, don’t be afraid to open up that out-of-warranty Pfaff machine and take a look. That noise you hear, or the rough running is might be a bit of crud on a gear or a rod, a stray thread, or something else that you can easily take care of yourself.

Thank you for reading and commenting!

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68 thoughts on “Pfixing the Pfaff”

What a great tutorial! Makes me wish I still had my 7570! My mother board went out a few years ago and i was better off getting a new machine. I loved that machine to it’s “death”! LOL
BTW, your machine looks great!!n

Fabulous details and photos on cleaning a sewing machine. I always cleaned and oiled my old machines beginning 40+ years ago. But my newest one has white lubricant instead of simple machine oil, so I am hesitant to do anything but dust out the fuzzies under the bobbin case. I definitely want to learn how to keep my machine in top shape since it was more expensive than any I’ve ever had.

Just a caution, don’t try this on a machine still under warranty, it may void your warranty. It is fine to try on a machine where you have nothing to lose by cleaning it yourself, just be sure your warranty period has passed.

Grest article, thank you for the photos, I’m will now be able to follow and do my own Pfaff. However, I don’t think being metric is Pfaffs way of keeping you out of the innards – most of the world apart from USA and a handful of other countries are metric, very few are still using imperial measurement system.

Your tutorial was great! I have the 7570 and I hope you don’t mind if I save this for future reference. Do you know how I can find out how many hours and how many stitches my machine has been used? Thank you again for doing this.

Dee, the prohibition against canned air is a myth. If you have the machine apart like this, there is no where you cannot reach. I have used it for over 20 years successfully without ever having a problem. Having said that, the vacuum is a great tool if you have one.

Thanks for this tutorial but I have a PFAFF Creative 1475 CD and I can’t get the under cover off. The left side of my under cover is covered by a cover over the tension set wheel. If you can help me I would greatly appreciate it. I just had my serger serviced and it cost me $129.00.

BethAnn-I read this tutorial last night and I too have a Creative 1475. I did exactly as she said but had a lot of trouble on the left- just work it slowly and it will slide out toward the back. It will also slide back in a lot easier than it came out!

My wife has the Pfaff Creative 1475 CD and it did not stop the needle working when winding a bobbin. Many months later the machine started making an awful grinding noise when sewing. Because it had already been serviced a few months ago we assumed that the problem was terminal so I had no reluctance in following your very clear instructions and took off the top cover to investigate (by the way I found that pressing the right hand clip that holds the hinged lid outwards helps release the top cover).

I discovered that the fault was caused by the main drive shaft being stuck to the drive mechanism by the lack of oil and not releasing when the inner wheel of the bobbin release mechanism was turned – a shot of oil and all was better again.

Thank you Nigel, I’m having the same problem with my Pfaff 1471…. the drive won’t disengage when winding a bobbin…. dread taking it to the shop…. may try opening it….uggggh….nervous…. love my Pfaff, can’t afford a new one, had this one for over 30 years, can’t tell you how much sewing I’ve done…. amazing!

I too have a 1475 CD which I love. I took the 2 top screws off as Carole suggested then if you get a flashlight an look down between the top and side cover, you’ll see a screw that needs to be loosened, you don’t need to remove it, just loosen. top came off!

I just pulled my 1471 apart as the bobbin winder wouldn’t disengage the main wheel. A much needed maintenance and oiling and now it purrs. You didn’t mention this part in your tutorial but it worked like magic to put oil into the slots where the wheel engages. I am so happy to keep my old friend working. Took it on my sailboat, even. Not too happy running through the inverter as it is a square sign wave but it worked well enough. Thanks for all your help.

Just ordered an LED light bulb for my 7570 –Googled and found you. The repair man I used retired so I am going to do the maintenance with your great instructions and photos. Thank you for sharing this knowledge with us. I am also having a problem with the bobbin winder. It takes off going unusually FAST. When I take my foot off the foot pedal, it continues to run for several seconds and makes an awful squealing noise. I’m thinking plastic gears? I can wind the bobbins on another machine so I might not try to fix that.

I’ve bought a 7570 today for a great price, but I no nothing about the machine. I think it is dire straight for a service as the lights turn on and that’s it. The screen turns on but nothing else. Any info would be appreciated and thank you for a service manual. This is such a great article and I’ve saved it

What a terrific tutorial! I just picked up my Pfaff 7550 at an estate sale at a great price. The presser foot does not seem to want to go down, so I started searching google for ideas on how to fix this problem. What I found most was people wondering how to get the case off. Voila! I found your tutorial with great pictures and nearly cried with joy!!! Thank you for doing this for all of us out here!

Thank you for this tutorial. I opened up my 1475Cd as per these instructions. The closest Pfaff dealer is now 25 miles away so I’m reluctant to take my machine in for something I can do myself! Only problem is, my presser bar won’t go down (the reason I started taking the machine apart to begin with). Is this something I actually need a technician to fix? Any advice?

Hi Carol,
Without looking at it directly and piddling with it, I can’t really advise you. But presser feet are generally just mechanical levers, and maybe it is stuck with gunk on the bar itself. Give it a good clean and see what happens. You have nothing to lose by trying if it is an older machine out of warranty. Good luck!
Carole

Hi Carole, I just purchased my 1st Pfaff 7550 at a Pawn shop. It has everything imaginable with it , also the tote pull along case. It looks brand new , but the reciepts said it was purchased in 1995 for $ 4,395.00 . I am paying 139.99 plus a 6mon. warranty all for a great price. I am not sure what to do with it all so I will stay in contact with your page incase I need to look things up. Thank You so much for your cleaning the machine post.

I inherited my Aunt’s Pfaff 1475CD 3 years ago and haven’t used it yet. My local sewing shop recommended bringing it in for service. I’ve always serviced my own Singer 401A (the instructions are in the manual!) so I couldn’t imagine that servicing the Pfaff would be any more complicated. Your post has given me confidence to tackle it! Thank you!

Finally found the directions for maintenance.thanks. however I’m afraid I really messed up. I was unable to get my 1475cd to fill the bobbin. Like others I had trouble removing the front left corner ,but concentrated on the bobbin winder. When I noticed something fly out of the top. I found a very small round pice of white plastic the broke off of something and now the bobbin holder flops around. My Pfaff dealer has shut down and I’m in a pickle. Can you give me any advise?

About the only thing you can do at this point is contact the closest sewing shop and see if they have a sewing machine repair person. Most shops have someone they know of that will work on older machines. Good luck!

Excellent tutorial. My Pfaff 7550 was putting big loops on the bottom. I was pretty sure there could be thread in the top tension disks, but couldn’t get to it, or even see it. This showed us how to get the top off and see and remove the thread. Thank you so much!

I have a 1981 Pfaff Hibbymatic 809. Love my machine, they don’t make parts for it any longer.
Was sewing and foot pedal quit working. Called Pfaff parts, didn’t have new one for me but they found company that did.
New one arrived still doesn’t work. I pray the dealer repair ship can fix my machine.
Of course they just want to sell me a new one.

what does it mean when my PFAFF 7570 won’t display the stitches on the display screen ?? I keep the machine clean and have changed the batteries but the needle just stays to the far left side and the display screen is yellow with black lines on it….has my machine been worked to death ????

Unfortunately, probably it has. When the computer boards go bad, it is less expensive to find another one gently used and get that one, rather than to fix the one you have. Boy we love these machines don’t we?!!

Awwww…my screen display on my 7570 is okay until it has been on awhile, then it kind of ‘darkens’ but I can still see the stitch info and everything else works. Drat! Looks like it may be starting to fade. I love that machine. Thank you so much for the tutorial!!!

Thank-you so much for putting this tutorial together .. I had a piece of cotton break off inside my 7570 and being both broke and 3hrs drive from the nearest town, sending it in for repair was totally out of the question, but now it’s removed, cleaned, oiled and running great 😀

This is fantastic but I still do not know how to take the sewing hook off. There’s a piece of thread stuck that I can see but it hangs on for dear life. Surely the must be a button or something like that there? I have the Pfaff 1475cd.

Wonderful instructions. This saved me money but most importantly time in a crunch. My daughter wants to have a quilt done by Monday, not sure it is possible with a working machine but at least now we can try. My presser foot wasn’t going down properly. Cleaning and oiling it fixed the problem. I am very grateful to you! Happy sewing!

Very nice tutorial. Thank you. I have a couple of comments that may help someone performing this maintenance procedure. Regarding your description, “Using a six pointed metric allen wrench, take out the side cover screw. Be careful to use the right tool, it isn’t a Phillips head”. Actually, that screw has a Torx head (neither metric nor SAE). Using a hex (Allen) bit or a Phillips screwdriver may strip the screw head. By the way, that screw on my 7550 was a Phillips #2, so I don’t know the Torx size of your original screw.

To clean and lubricate the hook shaft and feed system you can take off the baseplate by resting the machine on its back and removing the four Torx screws (T25) underneath the machine at the base of the tower. Remove the baseplate slowly so as not to put stress on the ribbon cables. Rotate the baseplate 90 degrees clockwise and rest it against the machine. Remove two slotted screws from the bottom cover of the free arm, and gently remove this plastic cover observing where the ribbon cable goes. Clean and lubricate as needed and reassemble. This is also how you get to the hook assembly if you need to remove thread wrapped around the hook. To disassemble the hook assembly requires further procedures.

I have the Pfaff 1471, 1475, and 7550 and with minor differences your tutorial is a good guide for all those models.

Best illustrations. Thank you.
Though I do have problem with the bobbin shuttle (holder).
Would you plse be so kind to tell me how to replace it back into the machine.
It is a Pfaff 7570.
Trust you will be able to assist.
Thanking you so much
Marinda
South Africa

Sent you an email but it came back as undeliverable. I’m not sure what to tell you, as I have never taken the entire bobbin shuttle out of the machine. I only clean around it and from the top under the throat plate. If there is a sewing machine dealer near you, they may be able to help by looking at the machine and your pieces, but without having it in front of me I cannot be much help. Sorry!!
Carole

Dear Carole, You have motivated me to take the entire mechanics apart and soak them in solvents and oils. I’m also going to viddy the circuit board for failing parts (bad solder joints, bulging capacitors, etc)… However, the problem of the day is STITCH DENSITY. That is, I set the stitch length to 2.5 and get micro stitches. I set her to 4.0 and get much closer to 2.5 …

New baby due in September and I”m getting way behind on all those projects 🙂
Tim&Beth

I don’t know if you’ve solved your problem yet but when this happened to me it was because I had previously lowered my feed dogs to sew on a button and then when I lifted them back up, they were only partially raised. This allowed the fabric to feed but it didn’t feed well and caused the stitches to be shorter. The partially raised feed dogs couldn’t move the fabric at the proper pace to get the correct stitch length.

I did not receive an error message so the machine must’ve thought the
At the feed dogs were fully engaged. All I had to do was engage the feed dogs again and all was well.

Dear Carolre,
Very impressed with your Pfixing the Pfaff. Perhaps you can help me: Our 20+-year old Pfaff 090A, looks very similar to yours; there is a problem – When I lift the Presser Foot with the lever, no problem, but when I release it, the foot doesn’t go down, I have to force it. I have oiled the verical conduite holding the shaft, but no improvement. If you can give me an email address, I can send photos showing the probleM.
Thanks Bob (writing from France)

Dear Carole, Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience accessing the insides of your Pfaff machine. It gave me confidence to tackle removing the top of mine; after applying oil (on a very long skinny paintbrush), the stuck presser foot lifter mechanism works again. It has saved me a trip to a repair shop an hour drive away.

Fantastic tutorial. THANK YOU.
I was just looking for instructions on how to remove the left side cover on my 7550 because the presser foot bar was sluggish, but this tutorial is so pertinent that I ended up following all the instructions. Surprising how many stray threads and how much felt-like lint was in there, despite doing the recommended “homesewing” cleaning/oiling all these years. Machine is now humming along quietly and smoothly again — I’d forgotten how quiet it was back in the old days.

Thanks so much for posting this with such clear pictures and instructions. I have a 1471 and one difference I found is that you have to take the side plate off first before you can remove the top. I found a video on youtube where the guy took the covers off of a 1471 but he did it really fast and didn’t really show how to do it. He was just trying to get inside to look at that.

This is an awesome tutorial. I’m trying to fix my 1475 CD because my newer machine has to go in for service. Being without my newer machine for 3 weeks is so traumatic. I thought if I could get this old thing running I might be able to survive. LOL! My issue occurs when releasing the presser foot lever the presser foot does not want to slide down by itself. Your turturoial shows how to take the machine apart…now if I can just figure out how to go from there I might be in business! 🙂

I also have a 1475 and found this tutorial perfect for getting inside to lubricate it. I never could figure out how to get the gunk out of the pressure foot lever, which was failing to go down at all. I eventually took it in for service. Let me know if you can fix the pressure foot! I would love to know how you did it.

Just wanted to say thank you all these years later! My presser foot was not dropping properly and I had no idea how to fix it. Following your instructions for oiling, and now, all is well again. I especially appreciated the reminder that we are out of warranty. Made me more willing to take careful risks.

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